


Three's Company

by Ajstrash



Category: Trinkets (TV)
Genre: F/F, Multi, Polyamory, Thruple, Triad - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-21
Updated: 2019-07-15
Packaged: 2020-05-15 17:31:19
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 8,880
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19300447
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ajstrash/pseuds/Ajstrash
Summary: Elodie, Moe and Tabitha have a special bond, but it may be something more confusing than just friendship.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Basically I binged Trinkets and couldn't help but ship the three girls together. It starts slow so please bare with me. Takes place after the dance and Moe's confession.

Elodie

The cool fall wind wiped past Elodie and Tabitha as they walked home from the school. It was late, and the good high from the molly had turned sour when Moe confessed she wasn’t a shoplifter and wasn’t forced to go to the SA meetings. She and Tabitha didn’t take it well and said some harsh words before turning their backs on the third girl. Elodie felt trapped in her head as she replayed the nights events. Everything was so good until they ended up at the school. Up until the confession, their bond felt stronger than ever. They even got tattoos to commemorate their friendship just a few short hours ago. She almost forgot she was walking with Tabitha until she heard the other girl speak up.

“This is so fucked!” Her sudden shout caused Elodie to jump and almost trip.

“I-I just can’t believe she was lying to our faces for so long.”

“I mean, I’ve known Moe my whole life and she’s never done anything this fucked up before.” Tabitha’s face looked like she was on the verge of tears while her voice was sharp and full of anger. “I can’t believe I actually started to _trust_ her again.”

Elodie always wondered what happened between Moe and Tabitha and even after a few times of asking, she still didn’t have an answer. “Do you think we were too harsh back there?”

“Fuck no, she had been lying to us for months. She was just pretending to understand and be like us. Probably laughing at us the whole time.” She could tell Tabitha had a lot of pent up frustration needing to get out so she just let her rant. Her finger brushed over the sore spot on her wrist, the sting of the newly inked triangle was almost a pleasant feeling. “I mean sure, it makes sense; she was always so flighty when we went lifting. I wonder if she was just buying the things she said she took. Could’ve saved herself a lot of time and money. Probably just wanted to get back at me.”

Elodie’s interest was peaked but before she could ask her to elaborate, they had come up to Tabitha’s house and they were saying their goodbyes. She was left alone with her thoughts and questions unanswered. Shoving her hands into her jacket pockets, she continued on her way towards her own house.

She slipped past her parents, they were distracted by some cheesy movie in the living room and paid her no mind. The idea of getting caught high gave her so much anxiety that when she reached her room, she let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. She kicked off her shoes and through her jacket onto the desk chair before falling down on her bed. The hand-me-down blanket felt much softer than it had twelve hours before.

Google told her that she should be coming down from the molly soon and she wasn’t prepared to deal with the nights events just yet. She rolled over onto her back and stretched her arm out into the air to look at the triangle. In the moment it felt so right; the three of them making their bond perminate. Now everything seemed so messed up. For the first time since the accident, Elodie was actually starting to feel normal again. Sure, she was stealing more, but she was also going out and having fun instead of locking herself away with her thoughts. Moe and Tabitha became her best friends, even more than anyone back in New Mexico ever was.

\---

The rest of the weekend came and went with complete silence between the girls. There were times Elodie wanted to reach out to Moe but every time she started typing, she would just delete them and toss her phone across her bed.

Monday was PSAT day and everyone was allowed to leave once they were done with their test. The room was buzzing with excited plans being exchanged between classmates. Elodie saw Tabitha signing in and joined her. “Hey,” she greeted softly.

“Hey, so how are you?” She seemed exhausted when she spoke but looked just as fashionable as ever. She wondered how Tabitha could look so put together while so much of her life was crumbling before her.

“Nothing says Monday like a little standardized test induced anxiety,” she said with a small chuckle.

“Got my number two,” Tabitha pulled a wood pencil out of her hair. “At least we get half the day off. Wanna meet up before the meeting?”

“I have to do this deposition thing for my mom at four.” They turned around and looked around the room.

“Do you want me to go with you?” She sounded sincere but Elodie wasn’t even sure about going herself. The last thing she wanted to do was relive that fateful day.

“It’s okay, my dad’s gonna meet me there. Thanks for offering.” Across the room, she could see Moe walk in. The look on her face was so sad, it took everything in her to stay planted in her spot. She had mixed feelings about everything after spending the weekend mulling it over in her head. “Have you talked to her?” She asked, curious if Tabitha was feeling the same as her.

“No.”

“Me neither.”

“Thought about sending her a text.”

“Really?” but before they could talk about, the instructor was making everyone take their seats and start. Elodie took her seat and tried to focus on the pages in front of her but her mind kept drifting back to the night of the party. Most of it was a blur up until they arrived at the school and Moe made her confessions, that part was crystal clear. Part of her wanted to understand why Moe had lied for so long, but another part of her felt betrayed. Elodie had a problem, she knows that, and the meeting were meant to help her. She opened up to the girls and told them things she never had the courage to say to anyone else. Even after just a day, she already wanted things to go back to normal.

Moe was the first to finish. Elodie watched as she got up to turn her test in and leave. Before she knew was she was doing, she quickly filled in the rest of the of her test sheet with random answers. She knew she’d regret it when she got the test scores back, but right now, she needed to catch up to Moe.

“Hey! Moe!” Elodie called down the hall. The other girl was about to walk out of the school, one hand on the handle, but she stopped and turned to face her.

“What? Gonna verbally attack me again?” her voice sounded defeated. Elodie felt a pang of guilt about how she reacted to Moe’s confession.

“N-no, actually I wanted to apologize,” she caught up to Moe at the door. “I’m sorry for how I reacted. I’m sure you had your reasons, I just couldn’t see that the other night.”

Moe’s looked relieved but still tense, “it’s chill dude. We were all fucked up, I kinda blindsided you both.” She nervously picked at the hem of her jacket. “I’m sorry I lied to you for so long.”

Elodie felt awkward with how everything went down, she wasn’t sure what exactly to say. To be fair, she was never sure what to say. “It’s okay,” was all she could muster. The two girls could barely make eye contact.

“Sooo,” Moe drew out the word. “Did you skip out on the test just to tell me that?”

Elodie felt herself get flustered by the observation. “Wha- I didn’t- uh I-”

Moe cut her off with a laugh, “dude relax. That’s probably the nicest thing anyone’s done for me.”

“That’s kinda sad,” she said with a small laugh. Moe just shrugged and flashed a smile before pushing the door open. Elodie followed after her, squinting at the early afternoon sun. It was a weird feeling being able to leave the school with the other grades busy their classes.

“So, uh, what were your plans for the day now that we’re free?”

She let out a sigh as she was reminded of the reality of her day. “I have to do this thing for my mom’s trial at four.”

Moe looked at her with concern, “oh shit, for real? Do you want me to come with you for support?”

It really proves how close their bond had gotten, even after a fight, both girls had offered to be there for Elodie. For probably the first time for as long as she could remember, she knew what it was like to have genuine best friends. “Thanks, but no, I think I need to just deal with it on my own.”

“Well, if you need a distraction when you’re done, hit me up.”

“Y-yeah, maybe,” she said with a smile. They got to the corner where she needed to turn to meet her dad downtown. “I- uh, I’m going this way,” she said, suddenly not wanting to separate from Moe and deal with what was to come next.

Moe must have noticed how tense she was because she pulled Elodie against her chest and wrapped her arms around the shorter girl. Elodie closed her eyes and let herself enjoy the brief embrace, letting her arms wrap around the other girl. After a few moments, they pulled away and said their goodbyes. Moe gave a two finger salute before continuing her walk home, Elodie watched her way away before turning to meet her dad.


	2. Chapter 2

Tabitha

 

She could feel his eyes one her. It made her feel dirty, the way he looked at her. Brady was sitting across from Tabitha and she was sure he was just eating that up. She tried hard to keep her eyes on the test booklet as to not make eye contact with him. But when she hears the first scrape of a chair moving, she looked up to see Moe turning in her test and leave. She couldn’t help but let out a quiet scoff at her ex-friend.

A minute or two later the next person was done. She looked up to see Elodie turning in her test and rushing out the door and down the hall. Silently wondering what that was about but sure she could get the scoop later, she went back to her test, determined to get a decent score. She could already hear her parents fake enthusiasm when she brought home high scores on her PSATs.

Everything about her parents seemed fake now that she had seen the truth of her father. She could feel herself become angry and tried to push the thoughts away to finish her test. 

Tabitha was fifth to finish, not her best record, but still enough to give her a slight confidence boost. She left the school knowing she’d have some time to escape Brady. Part of her wondered if she should find Moe and talk about what happened but she didn’t want to seem weak. She was sure Elodie caved when she ran after her. She was like a puppy who couldn’t stand people being upset with her. Tabitha thought it was annoying at first but the closer they got, she more charming she found it.

If the weekend had of happened, the three girls would have met up and done something together with their free time. But it did happen and she was alone yet again.

She walked down Main street, glancing into the shop windows trying to pick which would be her next target. She settled on a decently popular boutique that wouldn’t notice if a couple bracelets missing.

Tabitha went inside and started to look around. Others would assume she was shopping, but she was making her plan. She waited until one of the other women asked the cashier for something, the perfect distraction. She quickly moved to the jewelry rack on the side of the counter and discreetly taking two bracelets and sliding them on her wrist as if she had been wearing them the whole time. By the time the cashier turned back around, Tabitha was already on her way out the door, undetected.

She wouldn’t call it a high exactly, but it was the closest she could describe the feeling she got when she lifted successfully. She waited until she was a block away before looking at her prize: a thin silver bangle and blue beaded bracelet.

A ringing from her purse pulled her out of her thoughts. She took out her phone to see Brady’s picture announcing his incoming call. She knew she needed to play it nice and pretend to like him or whatever so he stops trying to dig deeper into what happened to his car, so she let out a sigh before answering the call.

“Hey Brady,” she tried her best to sound happy to talk to him. “Finished with the test?”

‘ _Yeah, I figured you’d wait around for me._ ’ He sounded annoyed.

“I never said I would, I wanted to get some fresh air.”

‘ _Whatever. Drop me your pin, I’m going to pick you up and we can get food._ ’ He said more than he asked.

“I’m not hungry.”

‘ _So? I am. Come on,_ ’ he was nearly whining, as if that would be more enticing to make her hang out.

She gives in just because she doesn’t want to fight. Might as well get it over with. “Okay, fine,” she quickly ends the call and send him her location. Brady would be there in five minutes so she sat on the curb and looked at her phone.

The group chat with Moe and Elodie sat un-updated since the night of the dance. Part of her wanted to text Moe, but she knew she couldn’t be the one to cave between them. After their history, it didn’t feel right to be the one to make the first move.

Bordy’s car came screeching to a stop a few feet away from where Tabitha was sitting. Everyone within 50 feet of the car could hear his music basting. It wasn’t much of a surprise when she found out that Brady’s parents just bought him a new car after what happened.He had a replacement two days later.

She sighed before standing up from her spot and getting into the car. Brady leaned over to try and give her a kiss but Tabitha turned her head, forcing him to kiss her cheek instead. He turned the music down only a few notches lower before talking.

“I’m thinking Panda Express,” he half yells.

“I told you I’m not hungry.”

“Good, then that’s where we’re going,” he puts the car in gear and speeds away to the restaurant. He tried to talk a few times but each time Tabitha just said ‘mhmm’ with less and less interest each time. Her mind still thinking about Moe and if she should send her a text.

They sat at a table right by the front window, Brady liked people knowing where he was at. As if someone would be walking down the street, see him eating, and come in to join in. Like he was just waiting for someone better to come along so he wouldn’t have to talk to Tabitha. It was always like that when they were out together.

Brady was droning on about how stupid sanderized tests were. He was acting as if the past few weeks never happened. Tabitha sipped on her coke, trying her best to look half interested in what he was saying. If she could just make it to a little longer, it would be time for SA and she could make some lie about needing to study.

Part of her hoped the other two girls would be at the meeting as well. Not that she knew what to say to Moe; she just wanted things to go back to normal. That is, the new normal she had been getting used since the school year started.

Finally, Brady was done shoveling food in his face and they decided to walk around downtown to enjoy their freedom. His arm was loosely draped over her shoulders as they walked, it felt like a shackle to stop her from running. It always felt so possessive when they walked in public like this. It was like he was trying to tell the world that she was his.

They were about a block away from the community center that SA was held in. Despite being early for the meeting, a few people were hanging around the door, talking and smoking. Her eyes fell upon Moe standing by herself, a large cloud leaving her lips as she vapes. Tabitha finally slid out of Brady’s arm. “Soo I need to head home and work on some homework. I think I’m going to walk home.”

Brady wasn’t happy with this. “What do you mean? We have half the day free, I figured we’d spend time together.”

“Well, I mean, I have a lot of work. I need to keep up on my studies.”

“I just wouldn’t want my parents to find out why we haven’t been hanging out together lately. Wouldn’t want them to dig into it too much.” He crossed his arms as he won this round.

Tabitha could feel eyes start to fall on them. “Come Brady, don’t make a big deal about this, it’s just homework. I have like two papers due and math work.”

“At least let me drive you home,” he reached out and grabbed her wrist. His grip was rough and tight making her wince. “Don’t be a bitch, Tabitha.”

Before she had time to react, someone had walked up on them. “Yo, Brady!” Before Tabitha could register who the voice belonged to, the person punched Brady in the eye. He stumbled backwards and his hand left her wrist to cup around his eye.

Moe was standing over Brady with this most disgusted look on her face. “Fuck you, dude,” she hissed the words with more vemon than Tabitha had ever heard her use; even more than when Moe had yelled at her in the past. The two girls locked eyes, a silent conversation exchanged between them. Tabitha stepped around Brady, still milking the pain in his eye, and hooked her arm around Moe pulled her away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Obviously had to changes things around but I wanted to keep Moe punching Brady in there. Hope you're liking it so far, let me know what you think!


	3. Chapter 3

Moe

 

The two girls didn’t speak until they were a few blocks away, Moe was too busy staring at her knuckles to know where Tabitha was leading them. She punched him, right in the face. He was definitely going to have a black eye the next day. Her knuckles had a soft red tint to them and throbbed slightly.

“What the hell were you thinking?” Tabitha’s voice pulled her out of her thoughts. She didn’t seem upset with her, like Moe would have expected, she sounded almost happy.

Moe flexed her hand before shoving it in her pocket and looking over at the other girl. “I was thinking he was an asshole.”

Tabitha had the biggest smile on her face, as if Moe had given her the best present ever. “I can’t believe you did that.” Her arm was still tight around Moe’s side, directing them down the street. She suddenly became aware of how close she was to Tabitha and shimmed out of her grasp. Tabitha’s smile faltered slightly as her arm fell to her side.

Moe took Tabitha’s arm and turned it over to check for a bruise. When Tabitha told them what Brady was actually like, Moe felt a long forgotten protectiveness for her. How could some shitty dude-bro even think of hurting her? Sure she was a bitchy popular girl, but Tabitha was sweet and deep down cared about others.

“I’m fine,” Tabitha said, taking her arm back. “Are you good? 

“I’m great, dude,” the adrenaline was better than anything she had felt before. She felt like she could take on the world. Or at least, whatever Tabitha was going to say to her about what happened the other night.

Part of her wondered if this is what Tabitha and Elodie felt when they stole things.

 

* * *

 

Moe and Tabitha decided to skip the SA meeting, Eldoie wasn’t going to be there anyways, so the two girls decided to grab food and hide out at Moe’s house. Her mom was working late again so they wouldn’t have to explain what was going on and why Moe was holding an ice pack to her knuckles.

Tabitha was in the hall looking at all the dorky school photos hanging on the wall. They stopped updating around age 14 when Moe started skipping picture day to hang out with her friends.

“I can’t believe these are still here,” Tabitha chuckles at a particularly awkward picture of an 8 year old Moe with pigtails and a missing tooth.

“You know my mom, that hall is basically a shrine.” She had an odd sense of vulnerability even though Tabitha used to come over all the time when those pictures were taken. There were even a few dusty pictures of the two girls on the wall as well.

Moe went into the living room and plopped down on the couch, ready to dig into the take out. Tabitha came over after a minute or two and sat at the other end of the couch, as if purposefully making sure there was as much room between them as possible. Moe tried not to think about it. She also tried to not think the awkward feeling creeping over her.

Sure, the two of them were reconnecting over the past weeks, but it was always with Elodie. The two of them hadn’t been alone together in years. She tried to not think too much about the last time they were. She wondered if Tabitha was trying to not think about it too.

Both their phones buzzed with a new message in the group chat.

_Eldoie [5:17]: Testimony was awful. Gonna go home and sleep. Meet up tomorrow?_

“Shit I completely forgot she was doing that today,” Tabitha sounded genuinely concerned.

_Tabitha [5:20]: Hope you’re ok. See you tomorrow_

_Moe [5:21]: We’re here for you dude._

“I asked if she wanted some support,” Moe said, putting her phone back down.

“Me too. She said she needed to do it alone.”

“Same,” they both let out a sigh, concerned for their friend.

Sure, Moe’s dad was in jail, but she couldn’t imagine losing her mom and having to relive the moment over and over again. The way Elodie freaked out when they forced her to drive Brady’s car was proof that she wasn’t okay with the whole situation. Hell, she probably would never be okay.

A few moments went by where Moe felt incredibly awkward. There were too many things going through her head that she wasn’t sure how to talk about. Tabitha looked just as uncomfortable as she felt. So she caved and decided to clear out one of the many elephants in the room.

Moe turned to face Tabitha so she could look her in the eyes when she apologized. “Yo, I’m sorry for lying to you about the whole shoplifting thing. You were the last person I would have expected to see there and, like, become friends with.”

It took a second before Tabitha made eye contact with her, her eyes seemed more sad than angry. “It’s fine. I mean, I didn’t understand why you did it at first. But the more I thought about it, I could see where you were coming from.” She looked back down at her hands as she spoke.

“I really didn’t expect you and I to, you know, be friends again.”

Tabitha laughed at this, which made Moe laugh despite not knowing why. “Who would have guessed that we would reconnect over shitty cookies and tea at a shoplifters anonymous meeting?”

“And with the most awkward girl I’ve ever met.”

“She’s gotten better though,” Tabitha finally seemed to relax a little and leaned into the couch more.

This reminded Moe of the many afternoons the two spent together watching TV and movies cuddled up on the couch after school. But she quickly pushed that thought away. “Well I have been doing my best to teach her how to be cool.”

“Too bad your type of cool is vaping and hanging out with burnouts.” The statement was more playful than judgmental.

“Better than homecoming queens and cheerleaders.” They both laughed at this. Growing up, they were inseparable, now they were complete opposites.

After an hour or so of Friends, Moe’s mom was coming through the door, exhausted from work. “Honey, did you eat dinner? I was thinking of ordering something,” she called as she walked into the living room, surprised to see Tabitha sitting with her daughter. “Oh, Tabitha, I didn’t know you were here. It’s nice to see you again.” She shot Moe a look as if to gauge what was going on, to which she just shrugged.

“It’s nice to see you too,” Tabitha was also close to Moe’s mom growing up. She was the cool, fun mom she would escape to when her own parents became too much for her to handle. “Moe kinda saved me today so I repaid her with dinner. There should be plenty.” She gestured for her to join them and moved closer to Moe to allow her mom to join them on the couch.

“It’s like you read my mind,” Ms. Traux joined them and started eating. “I’m glad you two are hanging out again,” she said, unaware of the complicatedness of the whole situation.

But to be fair, no one knew exactly what happened to Moe and Tabitha’s friendship besides Moe and Tabitha.

“I am too,” Tabitha said with a smile as she grabbed some more food.

“Yeah,” Moe leaned back against the couch, trying her best to relax. But she couldn’t help but notice every time Tabitha’s leg would bump against hers or how close their hands were.

Tabitha went home an hour later, ready to deal with whatever was to come with the Brady situation. Moe left for her room and started on the homework she skipped knowing there was no class that day.

She could feel the watchful eyes of her mother standing in the door to her room. “So, do you want to talk about what all that was about?” Her mom was too smart for her own good, it’s probably where Moe got it from.

“Not really,” she said before putting her pencil down and turning to face her. “We’ve been hanging out again lately, not that big of a deal.”

“Okay, okay, I just wanted to check. Last I heard, we hated her.”

“We just reconnected a couple weeks ago. Kinda a freak accident with this other girl. It’s kinda been the three of us hanging out lately.” She shrugged and turned back to her homework, not wanting to explain any farther.

“Okay, well don’t stay up too late. Have a good night.”

“Thanks, mom. I love you.”

“Love you too, baby.” She smiled and closed the door to the room leaving Moe alone.

Moe’s phone chimed from her bed causing her to forget her homework again and check it. There wasn’t a text, just a notification in the group chat.

_Tabitha named the conversation “▲” at 8:52pm_

It was just a small gesture but Moe understood what it meant. They were cool and despite how shitty Moe was for lying, the three of them still had each other.


	4. Chapter 4

Elodie

 

By the next day, everyone at school had heard about Moe and Brady. There were a few different stories going around. It took until lunch for Elodie to get the story from the source herself. 

She, Moe, and Tabitha were in one of the girls’ bathrooms, hiding from all the gossip. Moe was sitting by the window hitting her vape with more force than most days. The stress and attention was obvious getting her. 

“Should I even be surprised that he was able to turn it around to make him look better?” Moe was pinching the bridge of her nose in frustration. 

Tabitha was looking at herself in the mirror, inspecting her face for any blemishes. “That’s what he does. Twists everything to fit into his favor.”

“What really did happen?” Elodie finally spoke up. 

Moe shrugged, “Brady was being a dick to Tab so I punched him in the eye.” She said it in a nonchalant way. 

“He’s given me plenty of bruises, about time he got one himself,” Tabitha said before turning around and clapping her hands together. “So what are we doing tonight? I can not spend the night at home avoiding my parents.”

“Anyone playing at the Paper Tiger?” Elodie asked first. She was still new to town and didn’t know many places to hang out, and after Moe’s confession, she didn’t feel comfortable going lifting with her anymore. Not that she would tell either of them that, things were already rocky after the weekend, she didn’t want her lack of trust to cause more issues. 

“I’d rather avoid Luca if I can,” Tabitha said. 

“Don’t wanna say hi to your other lover?” Moe teased her which caused Tabitha to get flustered.

“He’s not my lover. Things got weird at that party, I’m not really sure how I feel about him.” She gave Elodie a knowing look. 

“Y-yeah, I kinda forgot about Luca and Sabine…” Elodie wasn’t quite show how she felt about the whole situation. Sure she and Sabine kissed at the party but then they found out that she and Luca were basically together. It wasn’t really something she wanted to deal with for her first relationship. 

Moe hopped down from the window sill. “You mean, you two didn’t want to be in a Big Love foursome?” 

Tabitha and Elodie looked at each other and couldn’t hold back laughter.

* * *

 

 

After school the three girls met up at the library, they decided it was probably a good idea to actually do homework and study. It was mostly disertated besides a few random people reading or using the computers so they found one of the more secluded tables in the back. 

Laptops and papers were spread out around them. Elodie could tell Tabitha was just scrolling through facebook and not actually working on anything, while Moe was focused on some advanced math homework that they didn’t even realize she was in the class. 

“When did you get smart?” Tabitha asked, picking up one of the papers and looking at it like it was another language. 

“Right about the time you became the cliche it girl,” Moe said in a teasing tone.

Elodie sighed at her own homework. “Wanna do mine for me? I’m not getting any of this.”

“Not unless your paying me,” Moe replied with a laugh. 

“You know I don’t have money, that’s why I steal.” That wasn’t completely true but she knew the other two wouldn’t call her out about why she does it. “I need a break,” she pushed off the table and stood. 

“Okay dear, don’t let those sticky fingers grab anything. Libraries are the last free service there is,” Moe teased her. 

To which, Elodie just rolled her eyes before leaving to wander through the shelves of books. She was glancing at random titles in the fiction second when she felt someone come up behind her. She was ready to fight some creep when she turned around to find Tabitha next to her. 

“Jesus dude, you scared me, I was ready to kick your ass.”

“You couldn’t kick anyone's ass, El,” she said with a laugh. “I was bored, fuck homework.”

Somewhere beyond the shelves they heard a shushing from a librarian which made the laugh but they quickly quieted down and lowered their voices. 

“So...I’m glad we made up with Moe,” Elodie admitted. She looked around to make sure no one was around to hear them. Through the shelves, she could see Moe still at the table working away. 

Tabitha moved closer to her and leaned against one of the shelves. “Yeah, I mean, after she punched Brady, I kinda realized how dumb it was to through away our friendship again. She kinda proved that she still had my back.”

Elodie decided to take a chance and ask her about Moe even if she wouldn’t get much information. “So like, you two were friends for a long time right?”

“Yeah, basically our whole childhood.” Tabitha was still watching Moe from behind the shelves. 

“I wouldn’t have guessed, you both seem so…”

“Different?” Tabitha finished for her. “Yeah we are now. We became two completely different people as the years went by.” There was a fondness to her voice, as if she was remembering what they used to be like. 

Elodie made the leap and asked what she had been wondering since they met. “What made you two grow apart?”

She could see Tabitha take in a large breath and close her eyes for a few seconds. “I did,” was all she said before turning and walking back to the table. 

Elodie stood there for a few minutes, wondering what that could possibly mean. It was so vague, it could be anything. The answer just gave her a million more questions. 


	5. Chapter 5

Tabitha

 

It took a couple days for the news of Moe and Brady to reach Tabitha’s parents. She had just gotten home from school when she walked into both her parents sitting at the kitchen table staring at her. 

“What’s up?” she asked, dropping her bag on the chair as she walked in. She looked between her parents trying to read their faces to know what she was getting into. 

It was her dad who spoke first, “I heard an interesting rumor today at work.” He said it in a way that she knew he wanted her to put in some work to learn what. She didn’t take the bait and just gave him a confused look.

“Moe Truax hit Brady and you skipped your meeting with her?” her mom blurted out, clearly not in the mood to play games. 

It was the first time Moe’s name was spoken in their house in years and for some reason it made Tabitha’s stomach do flips. “Yeah, she did,” was all she could muster to say.

This didn’t please her mom. “We told you she wasn’t the type of people we want you to hang around.”

“Why on Earth would she hit him?” Her father interjected. 

Tabitha bit her tongue at her mom’s comment and turned her attention on her dad. “Maybe he deserved it.”

“I’m not a fan of this nonchalant attitude you have young la-” her mom started to raise her voice, obviously annoyed but her husband cut her off.

“This is a serious matter, Tabitha.”

Tabitha pinched the bridge of her nose. “Brady isn’t a nice person, he’s done plenty to deserve it. I didn’t ask her to do it or something, she just did it.”

“Since when have you been friends again?” Her mom asked. 

“She goes to SA, that’s why she was there. Brady was being a dick so she punched him.” 

Her mom crossed her arms over her chest, visibly upset with her. “You need to stay away from her.”

This fueled a rage in Tabitha that surprised both of them. “I’m basically an adult, Mom, you can’t tell me who I can and can’t hang out with like you did when I was a kid. Brady is a bad guy, he deserves what he got and even more.”

Her dad finally spoke up, “Don’t talk to your mother like that.”

The young girl let out a laugh. “Like you’re one to talk, dad. You’re the one cheating on her!” After weeks of keeping his secret, she finally used the only ammunition she had on him. “I saw you, downtown, making out with some girl!”

Her dad’s face was a mix of anger and confusion, while her mom’s was just sad and disappointed. She couldn’t take it anymore and just turned and left the house. She could hear her dad calling after her but she already in her car and driving away from the house and quickly as legally possible.

Tabitha called the only person she knew wouldn’t cause more drama. “Hey, some shit went down with my parents, can I come over?”

* * *

About fifteen minutes later, Tabitha was sitting on Elodie’s bed looking around the strange room of her friend. 

The walls were a sad off white with only a few random pictures taped to the wall above her desk. It was mostly pictures from New Mexico with her old friends, most were tattered and faded as if she looked at them a lot before they ended up on the wall. In the middle was a bright, new picture of her, Tabitha, and Moe they had taken a couple weeks ago. This made Tabitha smile, imagining Elodie getting the picture printed the day after they took it and adding it to her wall of friends.

There were still boxes stacked against most of the walls; she wondered if they were Eldoie’s things or stuff her dad has no room for now that Elodie took the spare room. 

The room had no personality, and if it was a few months earlier, she would have said it matched Elodie. Now, she knew how wrong that is, Elodie was much cooler and more nuisance than she gave her credit when they first met. 

The timid girl was sitting at her desk, the chair turned so she could face Tabitha. A question was written over her face 

Tabitha sighed and answered it for her, “they found out a Moe and Brady and started telling me who I can and can’t be around. So I told them I saw my dad cheating.”

Elodie shifted in the chair, “Wait- what did they say?”

“I just walked out and got into my car,” she said with a shrug. “I’m sure they’re probably fighting by now.” 

Despite knowing about her father’s affair, Tabitha never gave much thought to what happened when the truth finally came out. She couldn’t bring herself to think about her parents separating, but now that she put it out into the open, she was hit with reality. What was her life going to look like now? Even though they were annoying, she loved her parents and couldn’t even imagine what’s going to happen.

She was staring at Elodie’s comforter when she felt her eyes started to sting with tears. “Fuck,” she muttered under her breath and running a finger under her eyes. “Lucky I only wear waterproof,” she said with a sad laugh.

The other girl got up and joined her on the bed. Elodie rubbed her back softly and it was actually pretty comforting. “I’m sorry, you probably think I’m crazy,” Tabitha said looking up at her. 

“Of course not, you’ve been going through a lot lately.” For once, Elodie didn’t seem uncomfortable. 

Instead it was Tabitha that was a mess. “I just feel so dumb, like everyone is turning out to be liars and bad people. First Brady is a dick and abusive, then I literally watch my father cheat, and then Moe… I don’t know how much more I can take.”

Elodie shifted and pulled Tabitha into her and tried to hold her. It was a little awkward because of how much smaller Elodie was to her. Instead, Tabitha fell back against the pillows and pulled Elodie down with her. “I wish I could just block out all the BS and have everything go back to normal.”

“Yeah, tell me about it,” Elodie still had her arms around Tabitha, they were practically on top of each other because of how small the twin bed was. 

“I wish I could go back to being a kid, before problems were real. Like back when it was just sleepovers and cartoons. Now it’s like relationships, drama, and family problems.” Tabitha sighed and looked over at Elodie who looked almost as sad as she was. “Oh shit, dude, I’m sorry. I know you are going through some serious shit too.”

Elodie just shook her head and smiled through her sadness, placing a hand on Tabitha’s cheek. “I-it’s okay dude, more than one person can have problems at a time.” It was probably the smoothest and smartest thing she’s said since Tabitha met her. 

“I know…” Tabitha sighed and closed her eyes for a second to clear her head. “I’m sorry, I’m sure you have way better things you could be doing than listening to me cry.”

“I really don’t mind, it’s an excuse to avoid my dad.” 

“Well then I’ll continue to cry about my problems,” she said with a laugh. Tabitha didn’t really feel like crying anymore. It had been awhile since someone genuinely cared about her. Sure she had her friends, but they were more image helpers; pretty girls with good fashion sense who completed the typical high school hot girl group cliche. 

Elodie was smiling at her with her big, doe eyes. She was so sweet and was such a genuine person despite how rude Tabitha was when they first met. Now here she was, laying with Elodie in her bed having a heart to heart. 

And before she knew what she was doing, Tabitha leaned forward and pressed her lips to Elodies. She could feel the other girl stiffen with surprise. Tabitha quickly pulled away and sat up. “I am so sorry, I don’t know why I did that.” 

“I- uh- wha....” Elodie looked dazed as she tried to connect what just happened. 

“I-I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have done that, I gotta go.” Tabitha quickly grabbed her purse and hurried out the door.


	6. Chapter 6

Moe

 

“Yo, Earth to Albuquerque! What’s going on in there?” Moe poked Elodie’s forehead.

The two girls had been walking in mostly silence on one of the many hiking trails in Portland. Moe didn’t question, at first, why Elodie wanted to hang out with her alone; she liked getting to know the other girl and spending more time with her. But the longer they went without talking, she became concerned. 

“I- uh- nothing, just thinking.” She could tell Elodie was lying, it was written all over her face. There was something she wanted to talk about and Moe was going to get it out of her one way another. 

They reached a lookout point with a couple benches and picnic tables where you could sit and look out over the city. It was late enough that no one else was out so they had the whole area to themselves. “Well too bad I can’t read minds!” Moe exclaimed, outstretching her arms for emphasis. 

Elodie gave a half smile and walked over to one of the tables, sitting on the bench. “I just- I don’t know. It’s no big deal.”

Moe jumped up on the bench and sat on top of the table next to Elodie. “So don’t get all judgey on me, but what if I told you, I brought a little something to help, uh, open your mind and make it easier to talk?”

“You brought drugs, didn’t you?” Elodie looked over her shoulder to see Moe pulling a joint out of the breast pocket of her jacket. “I should have known.”

“Hey, I said don’t judge! It’s just weed, and I think it would really help you loosen up. Get whatever it is, off your mind.” Elodie just gave a shrug so Moe put the joint in between her lips and lighting with her zippo. She took a long drag before offering it to Elodie. “Have you tried it before?”

Elodie shook her head but took the joint from her anyways. 

“It’s not that hard. Just breath in, make sure you get it in your lungs, not just your mouth, and breath out.” Moe had originally brought it for herself, but she was eager to be able to share in the experience of Elodie’s first time. 

She watched as Elodie brought it to her lips and took a hit. And like most people's first times, she let out a puff of smoke with a coughing fit. “Sh-shit…” she said in between coughs and passed the joint back to Moe. 

“Not bad for your first time,” she said with a chuckle. “I’m so proud to share in this moment with you.”

Elodie’s face was bright red from all the coughing but after a couple minutes, she was able to regain her composure. “Jesus, how do you get used to that?” 

Moe shrugged and took another drag, “it stops hurting after a while. I don’t really notice it any more.”

“Well yeah, you’re addicted to nicotine at 16,” the other girl teased. 

“That’s why you should never vape no matter how much it tastes like candy,” Moe rolled her eyes at the thought. She was a freshman when she started vaping because everyone else around her had picked it up. “But weed,” she kissed the side of the joint before holding it out to Elodie, “you can’t get addicted to weed, it’s just a nice way to chill out. And something tells me you need to chill the fuck out.”

Elodie took it back and gave it another try, this time she didn’t cough as much and seemed to actually enjoy it. “I-I guess I can see why you’d like it,” she said giggling a little. 

“Soooo,” Moe leaned forward to get closer to Elodie, nearly laying against her shoulder. “Everything okay?”

The joint passed between them before Elodie leaned back to connect their bodies. She looked over her shoulder with her big, brown eyes. A moment passed where they kept their eyes locked. 

Elodie let out a sigh before finally saying what was on her mind. “Something happened last night…” 

Moe waited a beat before realizing Elodie wasn’t going to just come out and say it. “Okay…? Am I supposed to guess or?”

“Tabitha came over last night,” the girl looked down at her hands, pausing again.

“Did something happen with Brady again? ‘Cause I swear to god, I’ll punch him again.” 

“No, uh, something with her parents. I guess they had a fight and she told them that she knows about the affair.”

Moe sat up a little at this, “no shit, really?”

Elodie nodded, “yeah so she came over to get away from them. And, uh, s-she kinda, sorta, kissed me.” She had gotten progressively quieter as she spoke so Moe wasn’t sure if she heard her correctly.

“Wait, what? I didn’t catch that.”

“Tabitha kissed me!” she said much louder, the statement echoed around the trees. Elodie hid her face in her hands. 

This took Moe by surprise and she wasn’t quite sure how she felt about it. “That’s what I thought you said… Is that all that happened?”

Elodie took the joint back from Moe and took a large hit. “Yeah, she just left as soon as it happened. I just… I just don’t really know what happened. It came out of nowhere and the next thing I know, she’s gone.”

Moe took a deep breath in as she composed her thoughts for a second. There were only two people who knew about Moe and Tabitha’s history, and it was Tabitha and Moe. It had been years since she even thought about what happened when they were younger and the true reason they stopped being friends. It was shoved away deep in her mind with all the other repressed memories of her childhood. 

Them hanging out again had brought a few thoughts back, especially the day she and Tabitha hung out after she punched Brady. Thoughts and feelings she had almost forgotten she felt once upon a time. 

“Wow that’s...crazy,” she said dryly when she realized she hadn’t responded yet. 

Elodie gave her a confused look. “That’s weird right?”

Moe was still lost in thought and replied with a monotone “totally.” 

Her thoughts must have been written all over her face or Elodie was already putting the pieces together. “Moe...is there something between you and Tabitha?”

“Wh-what? No, not at all.” She locked eyes with Elodie before sighing. “Not any more, at least.”

“I knew something was up with you two!” 

“It was years ago…we had a  _ thing _ .” It was the first time she had ever talked about it out loud. Part of her didn’t like it, like it was a secret only she and Tabitha had that no one could take away from her. But there was another part of her who just wanted to let it go and finally get past all the guilt and resentment she had bottled up over the years. 

“What happened?” Elodie turned around on the bench so she was facing Moe. 

“It’s a long story, it didn’t really end well.” It was hard for her to think about even after all these years. “It was middle school and we were best friends. Only the line between best friends and girlfriends kinda became blurred. Her parents started to put the pieces together and made her stop seeing me.” 

Moe couldn’t make eye contact with Elodie as she spoke. She felt too vulnerable finally saying what happened out loud. She felt Elodie place a comforting hand on her knee. 

“The day you came to SA was the first time we had an actual conversation since it happened.” She could feel her eyes start to sting with tears but she forced them to not release any. “I mean, more than just bitchy things in the halls at school.”

“I’m sorry, I had no idea. I kinda assumed there was something but I didn’t expect that.” Elodie looked genuinely concerned.

“It’s fine, I’ve gotten over it.” Moe pushed away all the other thoughts and focused on the sweet girl in front of her. “So she kissed you? How does that make you feel?”

Elodie’s cheeks got red with blush, “I don’t know. It was only my third kiss and she’s like my best friend.” Moe raised an eyebrow at that. “I mean, one of my best friends, come on, you’re my only two friends here. Anyways, it’s not like fireworks went off or something. I don’t really know how to feel. Kissing all kinda feels the same.”

“I don’t know, as someone who once spent a lot of time kissing Tabitha, it was nice.”

“It’s just confusing, I don’t really know what to make of it. And she left so fast, I couldn’t even ask her what it was.”

“Maybe give her a little space and let her come to you. I’m sure she’ll come around and explain what happened. Or she’ll just pretend it never happened and you won’t even have to deal with it.”

“But what if I want to deal with it? Like how do I know if I like her or if we shouldn’t even go there because we’re supposed to be just friends?”

Moe thought it was pretty adorable how clueless Elodie was. “I don’t know dude. It’s something you have to just wait and see. Sometimes a kiss is just a kiss and shouldn’t be anything more.”

“But how will I know if she won’t talk to me about it?”

Moe shrugged, “that is the mystery of Tabitha Foster. She is an enigma.” She looked down at Elodie and could tell she was pretty stressed over the whole thing. “I have an idea. How about we kiss, that way you’ll have a reference for what it would feel like to kiss to kiss a friend verse a crush or whatever is going on with Tabitha.”

This surprised Eoldie, “are you sure? You don’t have to do that for me.”

“Nah it’s no big deal, I’ve kissed plenty of my friends just ‘cause.”

“I’m learning so much about you tonight.”

“This is what happens when you smoke weed, you tell all your deepest, darkest secrets.” Moe said with a laugh. “So do you want to?” she asked for consent, trying to not seem too eager to kiss her friend. 

Elodie closed her eyes for a second, probably thinking it over, before opening them again and giving a small nod. 

Moe felt her face break into a big smile, but tried to play it cool as she moved down to sit on the bench next to Elodie so they were on even ground. “Okay…” she whispered as the two girls sat making eye contact for a solid minute before they both leaned forward. 

She went into the kiss just meaning for it to be a quick peck. She wasn’t exactly sure who intensified it but it lasted longer than she intended. Her hand moved to Elodie’s head, her fingers tangling through her hair, pulling her closer slightly. While the other girl’s hands were gripping the fabric on Moe’s shirt at her waist. 

It lasted a minute or two before the two girls pulled away, slightly breathless. She wasn’t sure how Elodie felt, but Moe felt something in her that was definitely more than just friendly. 


End file.
